The Merrymakers Theatre Company

                          fooling around with history!


Preseli Pete and the Bluestone Boys

Live @ Pembroke Castle 6th July 20247pm to book tickets click on the BOOK NOW icon below or email: simonphaslam@hotmail.co.uk

phone:07976 601596

About us:

Based in Pembrokeshire, the Merrymakers are a touring company specialising in comedy historical performance. We have various shows currently available and will always consider commissions to develop further performances. 

What we can offer you:

Preseli Pete and the Bluestone Boys

Bespoke theatre performances

Stage Hire

PA hire

Recording facilities

Music/soundscape composition

Street theatre acts

Our clients include:

Pembroke Castle (theatre performances, soundscapes, voice-overs, live music &stage hire)

Battlefield Live (soundscape composition, performance)

Bluestone National Park Resort (performance,          voice-overs, PA hire)

Riverside Shopping, Haverfordwest (street theatre & stage hire)

Haverfordwest Town Council (street theatre & stage hire)

Torch Theatre (music performance)

National Waterfront Museum, Swansea (theatre performance)

Millennium Centre, Cardiff (music performance)

Anna's Welsh Zoo (PA hire, event management)


Our Shows

Tournamental!

How can knight’s squire Evan Bevan help his boss beat the baddie Baron in the tournament? By going on a mighty quest to find a trickster, a giant and a witch, of course! And you can go too, once the Queen of the Otherworld has given you your cloak. Join the Merrymakers on a Tournamental tale of jousting and jesting around the castle where myth and Mabinogion blend with history, hysteria, horses and music...lots of music!

    The Keepers of the Castle part I & The Keepers of the Castle part II (A Very Uncivil War)

Join the Merrymakers in their frantic irrepressible dash through a thousand years of Pembroke Castle's history in two fifty minute shows.  Think Horrible Histories meets Monty Python and you're only halfway there! These hilarious and irreverent romps through the history of Pembroke Castle begin with Roger De Montgomery in 1093 and end some time around last Tuesday. The shows contain sword fights, jousting, lovesick princes, boastful earls, marital disharmony, hornpipe dancing, songs, witches, inaccurate accents, audience participation, cannons, and some of most terrible jokes you will ever hear.

Audio CDs: Keepers of the Castle part I was re-recorded in 2017. Keepers of the Castle part II (A Very Uncivil War) was recorded in 2018. Both are available on CD priced at £8.50 including postage; click on How to Buy CDs at the top of this page.

Follow the link below to see a slideshow of Keepers I being performed under our outdoor canopy (made for us by Stephen Ratsey Sailmakers of Neyland).

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1117457411648397&id=100001524475133

Knight School!

An experience for your kids  (and their mums and dads!) like no other.  Sir Benfro and his merry band of knights are waiting for you to begin training in their knight school. Suit up in medieval garb, join the Merrymakers procession, swear allegiance, learn how to storm a castle, develop your sword skills and receive a knighthood if you pass all the tests. Do it right, be a knight!

What (polite) people say about Knight School!

"Hugely successful in entertaining the children. Garbed in medieval costume and chain-mail, they give a humorous ‘horrible history’ type instruction. If all history lessons were dealt with in this way, children would understand and appreciate the subject far more readily. " Trip Advisor

Preseli Pete and the Bluestone Boys

A unique band with a unique look. Playing a blend of skiffle, ska, comedy numbers, re-imagined pop songs and original material, Preseli Pete and the Bluestone Boys feature a tea chest bass, kazoos, washboard, melodica, guitar, bass, trombone,tuba and three part harmony vocals. Energetic and infectious,  Preseli Pete is feel-good stuff. Click on the link below for a little taste of how we sound, or watch our promo video recorded and filmed live at Pembroke Castle in 2019.

https://soundcloud.com/user-944698257/ppete-the-merrymakers-demo

Excalibur!

Our legendary medieval mirthful myth. The almost true musical tale of King Arthur, Guinevere, Jolly Geoffrey the Jester and Nimue, and their tussles with the ghastly Green Knight and his henchmen Bludgeon and Gudgeon. Featuring a cast of seven actor musicians, an original script by Wendy Haslam and pop songs from the last five decades, Excalibur! was a popular hit at Pembroke Castle in the outdoor theatre summer seasons of 2016 and 2017.

The show takes place under our outdoor canopy and lasts one hour forty five minutes including a fifteen minute interval. Bookers please note, we require access to mains power within 30 metres of the performance space, and full access to the performance space with our Vivaro swb van as this forms an integral part of the canopy support. The show can also be performed indoors.

Want to see us ?

You can find information on where and how to see us on our "show dates and times" page on this website. Or find information on Pembroke Castle's website. We are accepting bookings for 2022/3. Please contact us via email if you are interested in booking the Merrymakers or Preseli Pete & the Bluestone Boys

simonphaslam@hotmail.co.uk